BOATING FATALITY.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13167, 28 January 1936, Page 4

BOATING FATALITY.

FIVE PEOPLE DROWNED. ANOTHER GRACE DARLING. Electric Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, Last Night Five people were drowned in a boating tragedy at Weymouth, on the upper reaches of the Man* ukau Harbour, three miles from Manurewa, this afternoon. Two children who were clinging to a flat-bottom boat in which a party of seven had been crossing the channel were saved by a 16-year-old girl, Mary Reece of Weymouth, who heard their screams for help and rowed out against wind and tide.

The victims were:— Edwin Studd, aged 54, farmer, of Sykes Avenue, Weymouth. Mrs Vera Studd, his wife, aged

38. Martin Day. aged 41, single, a labourer, ot Browns’ Road, Hamai, Mrs Studd’s brother. William George Stewart, aged 26, married, a labourer, of Russell road, Manurewa, and a brother-in-law of Mrs Studd. He is survived by his widow and two young children. Allan Turner, aged seven, son of Mr and Mrs I urner, of Point C hevalier.

Those who were saved were: Ronald Turner., aged 9, a brother ot Allan Turner, and Keith Pollock, aged 12. a son ol Mr and Mrs H. Pollock, of Hunua.

The bodies of Mr and Mrs Studd were recovered later. Parties failed to find either Day or Allan Turner and further seaehes will be made in the morning. Screams carried by the south-west wind for nearly a mile were heard by a neighbour of Mr and Mrs Studd, Mrs Reece, who was in the orchard at her home about 3.30 in the afternoon. She called one of her daughters, Mary Reece, who was m the house, and they both ran to the beach fearing that the party they liad seen earlier on the way to \\ attle Farm had encountered trouble on the return trip. A 16ft. boat was launched by Mrs Reece and her daughter and the g:rl commenced a. battle with wind and tide to reach the smaller boat which was drifting almost submerged in the middle of the channel. Two boys could be seen clinging to the bottom of the boat.

**lt took hie nil my time to catch up with the overturned boat so last was it drifting,” Mary Reece said later. “1 pulled out about hall a mile. It was very rough with a strong wind, but I managed to get my boat alongside their and pulled the two boys to safety. They were almost exhausted and sank down in the bottom of the boat. There was no sign of the others—only two hats and two paddles.” Tlie boys were brought ashore and cared for by neighbours. Three of the bodies were found later when the tide had dropped and the search was continued until late at night for the remaining two.

AUCKLAND Lart Night. Swift tragedy overtook a boat heavily laden with it> seven occupants and a quantity of firewood when it encountered a rip caused by the wind and tide. As far as is known there were not witnesses of the fatal capsize and the two children whe survived were too dazed te> give a coherent account of what had occurred. One said that a wave suddenly overturned the boat, throwing the occupants into the water to be swept away by the spring tide which was running out fast down the narrow channel.

An expedition to "Wattle Farm, about hall a mile from Sykes avenue where Mr and Mrs Studd lived was undertaken by the seven jieople early in the afternoon. They were seen crossing the channel when it was noticed that the boat appeared verv heavilv ladci*.